The Age of Solace: The Silver Wolf

Chapter 22: The Wolf and the Jewel

Syrah was heading back towards her room, tired after a session of training some of the knights. While her weapon choice and fighting style were unique, they were close enough to standard pole-arms to be able to teach newer recruits how to use them. She hated the job of training recruits. While she felt flattered that her fighting capabilities were valued enough to do so, she would much rather have spent her time training her powers or off on a mission killing monsters or slaying spirits.

'And if I got lucky, then I'd have the chance to slay a dragon as well!' Syrah thought sadistically.

However, she had noticed something strange as she approached the entrance to the castle. There was someone in the stables, preparing a horse. While such a thing was an ordinary sight, all of the knights were currently in training, and the members of Corvin's Blades were supposed to be meeting with their teams to decide things like what their groups would be called, and who would lead them.

Instead of speaking out, she summoned her scythe from the shadows and quietly entered the stables. The figure was wearing a standard knight's helm and chest-plate. He wore leather boots and bracers, and bore a standard shoulder pauldron and gauntlet on his left side. He wore a green hood and cowl combo, with a matching scarf that flayed down his back. She did not recognize the outfit, but somehow she knew exactly who it was that was hiding underneath. The particular horse he was preparing for travel only confirmed her suspicions.

"So..." Syrah stated, startling the figure to the point that he drew his sword and familiar-looking, jagged dagger. "We all hear about your rocky relationship with King Cardinal and you just disappear? Without rhyme or reason, and now... I find you here, preparing to leave. Running away? Fine, but before you go you owe me some answers!"

There was venom in Syrah's words. She actually did feel guilty about that fact, but she was no good in dealing with sensitive topics. But more than that, she wanted to be mad at him. She tried being his friend, even introduced him around, and this whole time he had been hiding such crucial information.

"You don't understand..." Faradeigh mumbled softly, turning his back to her.

"You're right, I don't understand!" Syrah shouted, swinging her scythe so hard that it impaled itself into the ground, startling all of the horses.

Faradeigh had to dive out of the way of his own horse as well. Thankfully, he had not yet untied it from its post.

"All I understand is that you lied... to all of us!" Syrah continued. "So tell me... why are you really here? Is it the castle's riches you're after? Or something more valuable...?"

At her words, Faradeigh had punched a nearby wall. There was a cracking sound, though by the lack of damage to the solid wood that made up the building, it was likely Faradeigh's hand breaking. Syrah flinched at this, and grew angry. The only thing staying her hand was the fact that Faradeigh was slouching a bit, still not attacking her.

"Why are you even here?" Faradeigh asked her.

Syrah hesitated at this. She wanted to yell at him that she was protecting her comrades and her kingdom. However, if that were truly the case then she would have hunted him down by then, or at the very least have brought him to a cell in the dungeons upon seeing him. She realized that somewhere in the back of her mind that she had known that Faradeigh was never a threat. Despite knowing this, even in the front of her mind, she still felt angry at him. Thinking on it, she had not actually gotten mad until she made the connection between who the figure was, and what it was that he had been doing.

"Why are you leaving?" Syrah asked firmly, placing herself in front of the exit, blade still drawn.

"You scream at me about my past in such a way, and still ask such a question?" Faradeigh asked in a depressed manner. "If you feel that way, then just about everyone else in that place does as well! I'm leaving, your nobleness, because it's what is best for everyone. Not exactly a big loss anyways, no powers and all... Now, you can either step aside and let me go, or you can just arrest me now. I'm not in the mood to play games."

Syrah stiffened at this. Whenever she had men cornered, be them enemies or even her own brother, they always either ran or fought. She had been preparing for Faradeigh to attack her, or to press for answers. However, Faradeigh had neither ran nor fought. To Syrah, he seemed resigned to whatever fate may befall him. After all, he had already questioned her presence. Never would Syrah have guessed that Faradeigh would surrender in total defeat. Yet, here he was offering for her to arrest him.

'Never before have I met such a complicated man before...' Syrah pondered. 'He claims to not want to play games, but could that be part of one of his own? Only one way to find out... If I want the truth, maybe I should offer a bit more honesty in return.'

"Are you leaving because it's the right thing to do, or because you're scared?" Syrah asked, relaxing her posture and stepping away from the entrance.

"I don't-" Faradeigh started, but Syrah held up her hand to signal for his silence.

"Honestly, I've heard worse deeds committed by many of the other warriors here." Syrah shrugged off. "So basically, I'm not impressed. What I am angry about, however, is that you would not only keep this information from all of us, but allow it to cause such uproar, and then follow it up by abandoning everyone here."

"I wish what you heard was the whole story..." Faradeigh sighed. "And the rest of it is why I must leave."

Syrah bit her lip. The way he said that had left her a bit uneasy, making her want to believe in his words and allow him to leave. However, she would not budge so easily. She would never have come as far as she did if she stepped aside every time a man gave his opinion to her.

"You know..." Syrah offered, enveloping her hand in shadows and playing with them a bit. "I don't know where my powers come from, nor does anyone else. Darkness is not an element, but with no better option, that was how my powers were classified. I can do things with shadows that break the rules of our reality, without the use of magic. When I was new here, everyone feared me and my powers. They would try to bring me down by exploiting the fact that I was a woman, and even try to convince both the royal family and my own to remove me from the ranks...

"Yet here I stand. Adversity is a normal part of life, and can be harder to face than the monstrosities that we come across. However, if you do not have the strength to stand up for yourself in the face of adversity, then you do not deserve to be here. If you really want to leave, I won't stop you. But if you do decide to run, we will have no choice but to hunt you down! You haven't been exiled. In fact, your crimes were absolved. You do have a place here! But more importantly, you are a part of a team now, which means there are others depending on you. Please, don't be selfish."

With that, Syrah turned and left him. She was worried about the parts of his past that he left unspoken, but figured that it did not matter. Regardless of what had happened before, he was who he was in the present. If she had let the past shape herself, then she would have never become the warrior that she had come to be so proud of. Rather, she would be just like any other noble, getting married off to a man of high stature to preserve face, being no more than a housewife to tend to her children.

Syrah shivered at the thought, but kept on walking. She noticed the lack of clopping hooves on the stone road, and smirked as she realized she had made a breakthrough. An image of him blocking that strike from killing the Black Rose right before her eyes had entered her mind. She recalled the entire fight, how he fought with that demonic projection, somehow dissipating that hex and buying time for it to wear off.

'He has a good soul.' Syrah affirmed to herself. 'I hope he learns that he can trust the people here, once they get used to him. But it is surprising to see someone so strong crumble so quickly...'

Stretching her arms and yawning, she realized how tired she was and doubled her pace in order to reach her room to take a much deserved nap.